As we conclude and wrap up this year, we are proud not only of what we've accomplished, but also how we accomplished it through collaboration, reflection, and an unwavering commitment to our students. The continued strength in student performance reflects the dedication of our staff, the partnership of our families, and the hard work of our students. So, I thank all of you as board members for your continued support of our school community, for your shared commitment to our student success.
Um kind of meeting them where they are and uh you know coaching parents really on what are the best skills to help your child. the the children that are in the birth to three program have very substantial needs. Um and this this program from the state I was one of the first things I did when I became superintendent was go on a home visit. It is really um eyeopening and so it we provide supports that way. the only space that that birth to three program is using is a little bit of office space at at Barnum and also to bring in families for you know circle of security. Um I know years ago we did a a board uh workshop on circle of security uh one of the showcases they do parent um coaching uh periodically together and that they'll have a a space um that they can use at Barnum to support that.
You've balanced friendship, homework, and just enough sleep to function the next day. This is your moment to reflect on all you've accomplished. Our D20 vision is that all students leave with the knowledge, skills, and character necessary to be successful beyond high school. And none of this would have been possible without the help of your family, your friends, teachers, coaches, and other mentors. They've walked alongside you every step of the way, and today they share in your success. So let's take a moment and thank them for their unwavering belief in you. [applause] Personally, I'm reminded of my own parents, Carl and Jane Johnston, both public school teachers for over 30 years. One of the most significant values that they instilled in me was to be a lifelong learner. Growing up in a household of teachers meant there were always high levels of encouragement, high levels of expectation, and probably a reminder or two about doing my homework.
Cara's favorite class this year is science with her favorite teacher, Miss Mary Hugh. Cara likes science because we get to do projects and fun stuff. After graduating from Baba Kibri High School, Cara plans on going to college, possibly at UCLA. Her current career goal is to become a professional athlete. Cara would like to honor and thank her parents for all their love and support. We're very proud of you, Cara. Keep working hard and moving forward. >> The eighth grade team names Aaliyah Chico student of the month for April 2026. Aaliyah's guardians are Cynthia and Martin Emanuel. Aaliyah's favorite class this year is social studies with her favorite teacher, Mr. Papoka. She likes the class because history is good to learn and because Mr. Papoka is a very good teacher. After graduating from Baba Secondary um high school, Aaliyah plans on going to college, possibly at ASU.
>> When you say the electrical system you're talking about like controls the control mechanism. And so if we look at like the AC, the cooling towers, the boilers, the controls that seems to be a total of about 24 million for a like that are HVAC related expenses. Is that about right? >> Yep. Okay. Is that is that kind of what you were looking for, Dave? >> Yeah. And uh in the 50 or the 30, is there enough money to to address the settlement issues at the elementary school and uh the parking lots? Courtney, shake her hand. >> No. >> Well, the parking lot is an adjacent >> this parking lot and the drainage and all that. So the parking lot is an adjacent ways thing and Courtney can talk about that because last summer we fixed the elementary school parking lot and so that's something if we can fix with adjacent ways.
Are any of you familiar with Miss Rita through the years? She's been here for many years. So we are going to make sure Mrs. Alexander couldn't be here tonight and she let us know, but we will make sure to honor her and the hard work that she's been doing with our students and our staff. So, congratulations to Mrs. ALEXANDER. And the next Golden Horseshoe Award goes to our amazing first grade teacher, Miss Lee Mannis. If Miss MANIS and Miss Manis's nomination. Um, they stated, "Miss Mannis consistently demonstrates excellence in her role as a certified staff member. She is highly committed to student success and approaches instruction with intentionality, care, and high expectations for all learners. Her ability to create a structured, engaging, and supportive learning environment helps students feel confident and motivated to grow. She builds great relationships with students and families, goes above and beyond to bring learning to life, and give students handson opportunities.
So, it is a lot of planning additional planning besides our normal like Well, it's tier tier one but also >> Right. Yeah. There's so many moving pieces and so sometimes it's also making the space for that conversation because we know that their planning time is so so small and so and they have their long lists of all the things and that is the flexing their groups might never make it to the top of the list. We're also making some changes in practices so >> Yeah. you know, it's it is easy to do what you've always done. Mhm. So, when a change is implemented, very often people are like, "Yeah, I can try this change." And that works great until there's some something else, some other factor kind of enters the equation. So, the minute, you know, I'll just give a quick example, you know, the minute like a single child or a small group of children become disruptive, now all of a sudden your whole plan starts to fall apart and what we do like as human beings, it's normal human nature, you revert back to what you're most comfortable and familiar with and so then you go back to the earlier way that you did things, right?
>> I I don't have any questions, but I just want to say thank you for the presentation as well as the student performances were amazing. And if you go to any program at Gilbert Public Schools, it's it's just unparalleled and you know, I think it's so exciting to help students find that love for music. I was one of those students at Gilbert Public Schools. And so, I just know that there's a lot of people who work to do that including parents, directors, you all, and you know, I just appreciate all the work you do. >> Yeah, I'll just I'll echo that as well and and thank our our leaders and our our directors at each campus and teachers um for the fabulous job they do for our parents and families for supporting their their kids, our students, and and for the hours that all of our students pour into it as well.
We're just we're looking for baseboard but don't quote me on that. I'll give you guys the update on the look ahead schedule. Um downstairs one classroom flooring is done. Case work is done. They started putting a drop ceiling in and then the classroom to the right when I was there this morning, they were starting with the flooring. Uh case works in uh no work done to the ceiling right now, but I'll continue to update you guys with schedules and pictures as I've been doing throughout the process. >> That's actually wonderful to keep everybody in the loop of exactly what the picture is. So, we're kind of see what what's going on there. >> Yeah, I actually got that from um Principal Schwoko over at Talala. Uh we used to do principal updates once a week and I would just kind of see what people had gripes about with the operations and then she just started sending pictures of kids doing great things.
The idea that it's gone, Jess, everybody agrees is terrible. I didn't vote for the budget for that one of the reasons on several. But we had the time for this conversation was last month. Before we went there. Where we kind of we voted, we've got to stick with it. I mean, one of the oath that you take when you become a school committee member, speaking of elections coming up, uh is that when the committee votes on something you want in the vote. So. Yeah, well, but here we are in open meeting discussing more and what the vote actually means for the different schools. >> I mean, if if you have a plan to to respond to the people who come at us and say, you know, you cried poor, made us vote for this budget, and now you're spending more than the budget. Let's hear it.
With that, I give you an opportunity to ask any questions that you may have of me. >> Thank you. Thanks for reports or comments. Well, I do. Um, if I might, uh, it was a wonderful visit for the five or six of us that were able to spend a couple hours with you. Uh, I learned about morphology. I'm not sure I know what that is, but I did learn about it. Uh, it was great to see the the your your faculty's use of data uh to drive instruction survive initiatives. Uh it was great to see and even just in a brief walkth through that those initiatives were clearly taken taken foothold with the faculty uh and should produce results. Uh so I thank you for that. It was enjoyable to hear from the uh uh the student council kids too. So I think that you really revived that program the group youngsters that we heard laid down and challenged the group behind them and I'm sure they'll pick that up.
Um like >> yeah parent center >> parent center but the um like the really the building is designed for the chester public schools early childhood program and not this the birth to three per se >> and so from >> that happens at home >> from a cost perspective there's there's operational and capital costs involved and there's really relatively little capital cost involved with birth of three it's an operational cost which is funded by the state government. >> Correct. >> I'm just trying to explain this to people like how the because there's two different pieces. >> Yeah. So the the um we build the state for all those u services that are provided through birth to three to to wash the uh the cost of providing it. And we get the tremendous benefit of the kids like I said that are being serviced through that program.
And though they are no longer with me, their influence continues to guide me. And I encourage you to carry forward the wisdom of those who have shaped your lives. So graduates, listen to the wisdom that is shared with you by others. The following poem has inspired many over the years to reflect on the decisions that they will make in life. The road not taken by Robert Frost. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both, and be one traveler, long I stood, and looked down one as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth. then took the other as just as fair and perhaps having the better claim because it was grassy and wanted wear. Though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same. And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had drawn black.
Um Aaliyah's current career goal is to become a teacher. Aaliyah would like to take this opportunity to honor and thank her guardians for all their love and support. Keep up the good work, Aaliyah, and keep pushing to learn and grow as a student. All right. Thumbs up. >> Congratulations. Oh my god. again. >> Good job. Caleb Naro is the freshman class student of the month for April 2026. Caleb is the son of Tanuelo Naro. His home village is Tawa. Caleb serves as the Babakir district representative for the Donna Nation Youth Council. Caleb's favorite class this year is algebra 1 with his favorite teacher, Miss Sedora. He likes the class because math is interesting and because Miss Sedora is a great teacher. After graduating from Bubba High School, Caleb plans on going to college at the UOVA. Bear down. His current career goal is to become a chef or a drummer.
We don't want to go to our community and talk about the bond. But part of that is I think if if we can approve the higher um higher bond amount is if we go and kind of for lack of better words strip things down to the stud. some of the things and the drainage into the parking lot deals with things that are going on on the roof and bigger issues where if we can do a more comprehensive reform and and possibly figure out a solution to redo the roof that that would help the drainage into the parking lot and then that would also assist our parking lot situation as well. So when we talk about doing things, we're talking about a little bit bigger scale and doing them right. So it's not you're not still having a roof that's like a danger zone that would drain into the parking lot and just cause more issues um to to move on to the override.
We are grateful to have Miss Manis on our team. Congratulations. I just have a quick story about Miss Manis who we were doing our leader and lead walkthroughs and she was modeling the lesson and it was being proactive and she was talking to the students and she was roleplaying saying that she was so tired because she didn't prepare the night before to be ready for the date to that sort. So she tells the students, "I'm so tired. What should I do or what should I have done?" and one of her students says, "Drink coffee." But she's a great storyteller and always has the kids attention and is super creative. So, we really do love and appreciate you, Miss Perfect. Thank you. >> Thank you everyone. So with that, we'll take a short break. If anybody wants to stretch and so you can stay another half hour or welcome to go We Well, you covered Hey, stand up.
But each time you do that it holds you up from become it's from having a high level of facility with the new techniques and methodologies that are being put into play. So, and so um you know, that's I'm not in any way, shape or form an excuse, but making these times types of shifts takes time. Like people need time to not only learn them and absorb them, but apply them and get to a point where they're able to apply them with comfort. And so there's an old expression like people used to always say, "Practice makes perfect." Practice does not make perfect. You can practice wrong a thousand times and all you're doing is reinforcing bad habits. Perfect practice makes perfect. And so that's one of the reasons that we've invested so heavily and we're trying to protect our coaching so much because the way you achieve perfect practice is when you have the opportunity be observed and coached and given feedback.
I mean, a lot a lot of hard dedicated work and um I'm so impressed with the the outcome. As many have mentioned, just the concerts are amazing. Um I feel like I mean, really professional level music, which is so so amazing to hear, but uh as some of the other board members alluded to, beyond that, just the the way that that um im- improves other aspects of of people's lives and when their studies and everything else. I think music is a is a huge part of Gilbert Public Schools and we do it really well. I do have one question. >> Yes. >> Um so, I think Sustaining the Tempo is awesome and seven times winning that award is incredible. Are there any goals that we have um of areas where we want to grow this part or or things we're looking for in the in the next couple years and maybe any way that uh we as a board can support that.
So I uh started putting pictures in the FYIs for you guys to track the construction progress. >> So now the sports complex and we started with softball and baseball and now we're going to do a track meet. Are we done there? No, actually, uh, Keith and I are meeting representatives from Burns and Jones to address a few issues, mainly the grass growing there. I think we have to recede that a little bit more, but um, they're just minor punch list items and we'll be looking to close that project out. So, >> all right, good. And then, and then the other part, the second part of that is from last year, the older projects that we did last summer, the one before. Do we have any more open projects with with punch list and retention that we're holding? No, I believe we closed out uh I think it was a couple months ago we had the final payout to reconstruction and >> I think I think it was last month or the one before we had a final payout.
So, slide four of the April presentation, April 7th presentation, said 260,000 used to offset expiring costs, 200k for expected E&D. So, we're already identified costs in the operating budget that we're covering from E&D as a nod to the town saying, "Okay, we know this is expiring, we're going to cover it from our free cash." And so, you know, we are giving a little and we understand that it's give and take. So, the fact that we are trying to salvage a band program by less than a cost of a school choice child for 1 year, I don't think that's bad optics. I think that is [clears throat] No one thought of this when we were having this 0.1, 0.2 discussion before the budget was passed. >> I I think a lot of us thought about using more cash to fund some of these things, but we decided we were already using a lot.